Infeed device



Filed Jan. 31, 1964 United States Patent O 3,230,866 INFEED DEVICE Hans Branders, Bei-tel Hakulin, and Tor Valter Elrlf,

Warkaus, Finland, assignors to A. Ahlstrm Osakeyhti, Warlraus, Finland, a company of Finland Filed Jan. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 341,524 3 Claims. (Cl. 10G-53) The following invention consists af an infeed device, mainly intended for feeding in material to be pressed in the following phase and possibly incorporating in itself a device for pressing or partially pressing the material. For example, it can be a device for feeding wet bark into a bark presser, like the embodiment presented below, though it is in no way restricted to this embodiment.

In materials that contain pieces of different sizes and/ or shapes, pockets are liable to form while they are in an infeed device. For this reason the latter must include a variety of devices to break up the pockets, or else prevent their form-ation. However, it is diflicult to control such a device for breaking up pockets within an infeed device.

In some cases, when water or other liquid has to be removed from the material in the following phase, for instance, it may be an advantage to squeeze the material at the same time 'as preventing the formation of pockets.

The object of the invention is to provide an infeed device especially suitable Ifor handling materials such as are described above, which incorporates no devices inside the material being handled, though it still effectively prevents the formation of pockets, and which at the same time presses the material, if Iso desired.

An infeed device according to the invention is characterized by two endles belts situated at some distance from each other and at least partly lying opposite each other. At least one of such belts is power driven, while the other can be turned at its outfeed end towards and away from the first endless belt.

The invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which is a diagrammatic view in side elevation of a device according to the invention used for feeding bark into a bark press.

The reference character 1 in the drawing designates an endless chain belt formed of one or more draw chains and of cross pieces 1a attached to the chain(s), 2 the guide rails of the chain belt, 3 a driving wheel, 4 a driven wheel, 5 a pressing base consisting of a perforated plate or lattice construction so Iarranged that water can flow through it, 6 a plunger, and 7 one or more hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders containing a piston '7a and a piston rod 6a used to press the plunger 6 against the base plate 5. The reference character 8 designates another endless chain belt which may be power driven, with 9 as the driving wheel and 1t] the driven wheel. Alternatively the chain 8 may be idle, in which case both 9 and 10 are freeturning wheels.

Wheel 9 can be adjusted towards and away from the chain belt 1 by means of various known adjusting devices of which one is shown in the drawing. Such device includes one or more eyebolts which engage the axle of wheel 9, the eyebolt 15 being threadedly engaged with a nut 16. The nut 16 has a spherical body which is mounted in a mating part-spherical seat 19 in a fixed frame element 18. The nut 16 may be turned, for example, by means of Ia sleeve 17 which projects youtwardly thereon beyond the lseat 19.

In the device shown in the drawing, the power drive of the chain belt 1 is so arranged that, as the plunger 6 rises, the belt moves forwards for a distance corresponding to the length of the under-surface of the plunger 6, after which it remains motionless during the whole of the 3,23,866 Patented Jan. 25, 1966 pressing phase. The chain belt 8, which is, 'as above set forth, shorter than belt 1, is either free-moving or else power-driven, in the later case its movement is synchronized with that of the plunger in the same way as belt 1.

In the illustrative embodiment, only the lower belt 1 is driven. The belt 1 and the reciprocating motor 7 for the press are driven by a common source of fluid under pressure which is designated generally by the reference character 11. Fluid under pressure is Ialternately supplied to opposite ends of the motor 7 through magnetic valves M1 and M2 which are controlled by a relay 12 which incorporates an automatic timing device. The relay 12 is connected, as shown, to a switch 13 which selectively starts and stops the driving motor 14 for the chain 1. Motor 14, which, as shown, is of the geared type, has its driving shaft 29 connected to a pulley 22 on the shaft mounting wheel 3 by the medium of a belt 21. Relay 12 is so constructed, and the parts are so arranged, that the motor 14 is de-energized and thus remains at rest until the plunger and presser member 6 of the press begin to rise. The motor 14 is then energized and drives the chain 1 forwardly until the plunger and presser member 6 of the motor 7 begin to descend, at which time the motor 14 is de-energized so that the belt 1 and the material carried thereon are at rest when they are again subjected to the presser member 6.

ln the embodiment shown, the belts 1 and 8 are drivingly connected by a cross belt 24 which is entrained over a pulley 25, fast to pulley 3, and a pulley 26, fast to pulley 9. The driving belt 24 is tensioned by an idle roller 27 which is constantly pulled to tighten the belt by a tension spring 2S connected at one end to the axle of roller 27 and at the other end to a fixed member 29.

Wet bark and mud from the barking point is fed in between belts 1 and 8 and is then moved Aforwards by the belts towards the bark presser. Belt 8 can be placed nearer to belt 1 at its outfeed end so that water is squeezed out of the bark as it moves forward. This can be achieved more effectively if belt 8 is power-driven than if it is free-moving.

It is an advantage if the layer of material formed between chain belts 1 and 8 is inclined at a marked angle with respect to the horizontal, as it is in the drawing, though for the purpose of squeezing out water, belt 1 can also be horizontal. Water pressed from the material beneath the presser member 6 may flow through passages 5a in the support member 5 of the press, as shown.

The invention is not conned to the construction described above and illustrated in the drawing, neither is it restricted to the same mode of operation. lt can be varied in many different ways within the limits of the claims.

What we claim is:

1. The combination of a pre-squeezing infeed device and a press plunger for pressing and expelling liquid from material formed of pieces of different sizes and shapes, comprising two perforated endless belts having confronting operative runs lying at some distance from each other and with one generally above and at least partly opposite the other, means to move the outfeed end of the upper one of the belts toward and away from the lower belt, the belts converging in a forward direction to form a device that squeezes the material fed between them, the lower belt being extended forwardly a substantial distance beyond the upper belt, a plunger press having a base support, underlying a portion of the forward extension of the lower belt, a plunger, and a presser member connected to the plunger in alignment with and above the base support, the portion of the forward extension of the lower belt confronting the plunger being backed up by the base support s-o that material carried forward on the forward extension of the lower belt is pressed between the presser member and the base support acting through said portion of the lower belt, and means for moving the lower belt forward in steps each of a distance corresponding to the length of the presser member while said plunger and presser member areyraised, said last named means stopping the forward movement of the lower belt when the plunger and presser member descend.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising means drivingly connecting the two endless belts so that the upper belt moves stepwise in synchronism With the lower belt.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the com lfronting operative runs of the two belts are inclined 'at a substantial `angle to the vertical, the extension of the lower belt lies generally horizontal, and the plunger and presser member 4of the press reciprocate generally ver-ti- 4 cally and normal to the plane of lsaid extension of the lower belt.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 975,204 11/1910 Blanchard 1GO-222 2,150,984 3/1939 Near et al.

2,272,009 2/1942 Keller et al 100- -222 XR 2,963,960 12/1960` Pirie et al 10Q- 118 FOREIGN PATENTS 29,353 8/19'10 Sweden. 92,788 2/ 1922 Switzerland.

o WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner. 

1. THE COMBINATION OF A PRE-SQUEEZING INFEED DEVICE AND A PRESS PLUNGER FOR PRESSING AND EXPELLING LIQUID FROM MATERIAL FORMED TO PIECES OF DIFFERENT SIZES AND SHAPES, COMPRISING TWO PERFORATED ENDLESS BELTS HAVING CONFRONTING OPERATIVE RUNS LYING AT SOME DISTANCE FROM EACH OTHER AND WITH ONE GENERALLY ABOVE AND AT LEAST PARTLY OPPOSITE THE OTHER, MEANS TO MOVE THE OUTFEED END OF THE UPPER ONE OF THE BELTS TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE LOWER BELT, THE BELTS CONVERGING IN A FORWARD DIRECTION TO FORM A DEVICE THAT SQUEEZES THE MATERIAL FED BETWEEN THEM, THE LOWER BELT BEING EXTENDED FORWARDLY A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE BEYOND THE UPPER BELT, A PLUNGER PRESS HAVING A BASE SUPPORT, UNDERLYING A PORTION OF THE FORWARD EXTENDING OF THE LOWER BELT, A PLUNGER, AND A PRESSER MEMBER CONNECTED TO THE PLUNGER IN ALIGNMENT WITH AND ABOVE THE BASE SUPPORT, THE PORTION OF THE FORWARD EXTENSION OF THE LOWER BELT CONFRONTING THE PLUNGER BEING BACKED UP BY THE BASE SUPPORT SO THAT LOWER BELT IS PRESSED BETWEEN THE PRESSER TENSION OF THE LOWER BELT IS PRESSED BETWEEN THE PRESSER MEMBER AND THE BASE SUPPORT ACTING THROUGH SAID PORTION OF THE LOWER BELT, AND MEANS FOR MOVING THE LOWER BELT FORWARD IN STEPS EACH OF A DISTANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE LENGTH OF THE PRESSER MEMBER WHILE SAID PLUNGER AND PRESSER MEMBER ARE RAISED, SAID LAST NAMED BELT WHEN THE PING THE FORWARD MOVEMENT OF THE LOWER BELT WHEN THE PLUNGER AND PRESSURE MEMBER DESCEND. 